How did one specialty fresh grocer achieve remarkable customer acquisition results in four weeks—what most fresh grocers spend months trying to accomplish?

By partnering with Upside, this grocer activated new and lapsed shoppers through measurable, incremental customer acquisition that outperformed specialty peer benchmarks by 4x. This represents the rapid, profitable growth that today's top grocers use to drive success in fresh-first strategies and competitive market expansion.

Looking for results that move the needle? Here's exactly what this grocer accomplished:

Profitable growth, delivered fast

This specialty fresh grocer ran a pilot program with Upside focusing on three key goals:

• Attract new customers who value premium fresh and specialty products
• Prove incremental sales through rigorous measurement against control groups
• Drive profitable growth that delivers genuine bottom-line impact

Here's how they performed against each objective.

New customers in weeks, not months

Over 90% of Upside-driven shoppers during the pilot were new or infrequent guests to this specialty fresh grocer. For retailers focused on premium fresh and specialty categories, this represents customer base expansion that creates sustainable growth. Fresh grocers often excel at serving existing customers but face natural constraints reaching new shoppers who haven't discovered what they offer.

Incremental sales that quickly added up

80% of all attributable Upside sales were independently measured as incremental versus a matched control group. This rigorous measurement ensures retailers can distinguish between new shopping behavior and existing patterns they were already capturing. The pilot generated significant incremental net profit at approximately 50% ROI after accounting for promotional costs and profit-sharing. This represents genuine bottom-line growth rather than subsidizing existing transactions.

Fuller baskets, more frequent trips almost immediately

New customer quality proved as important as quantity. New customers averaged $94 per basket—double the store average. This pattern held across locations, demonstrating that Upside attracts quality-conscious shoppers who appreciate what fresh grocers offer.

The right approach can unlock growth that fresh grocers might not have thought possible through traditional customer acquisition methods.

4x stronger than industry benchmarks

Beyond the individual success stories, the broader performance metrics proved just as compelling. One customer went from a single transaction in the past year to 13 in just one month, with daily spend climbing to $18. Another guest with no prior history discovered the store the day after Upside launched and spent $190 across two visits. Even regular shoppers deepened their engagement, tripling daily spend from $10 to $36 when shopping through Upside.

In the first three weeks, results outperformed specialty peer benchmarks by up to 4x in transaction volume. And this wasn’t a short-lived spike—the consistent patterns suggest scalability and repeatability for retailers in similar markets, especially in high-income urban and suburban areas where fresh formats thrive.

Uptake and engagement proved strongest in high-income urban and suburban demographics, where fresh grocers typically see the most potential for premium positioning. The consistency across these markets indicates that other fresh grocers in similar areas could expect comparable performance.

What rapid, profitable growth means for fresh-first grocers

Many fresh grocers excel at serving existing customers but face natural limits attracting new shoppers. This case study shows how the right partnership can break through those constraints, creating sustainable growth that doesn't compromise margins or brand positioning.

These real-world results highlight opportunities for fresh grocers to rapidly expand their customer base while maintaining profitability. The approach works well for retailers with fresh-first strategies because it connects them with shoppers who value quality and spend more for premium products.

Ready to explore what's possible for fresh grocery retail? Our team works with retailers across the fresh and specialty space to understand what drives results in different markets. Let's talk about what similar growth could look like for fresh-focused stores.